Tuesday prior to Lent 4

Psalm 107:1-9 key verse, verse.1—Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. In all things we are encouraged to praise and return thanks to the Lord, especially in light of Christ’s redeeming work He did for us on the cross.

Psalm 107 is, above all, a hymn commemorating the power of God. Despite the transgressions of the Israelites, the Lord forgives them. ... The psalm is a hymn of thanksgiving to the Lord “for the purpose of making [the Lord's works] known to humankind, so that they too can join in the praise of [the Lord]”

The psalm has three main parts to it:

An introduction (vv. 1-3), which establishes the theme of thanksgiving for deliverance;
The main body (vv. 4-32);
A hymn constituting a conclusion (vv. 33-43).

The main body consists of four sections, each describing a situation in which God has provided deliverance:

Being lost in the desert (vv. 4-9);
Being prisoners (vv. 10-16);
Being ill (vv. 17-22);
Being in a storm at sea (vv. 23-32).

Each section is structured the same, first describing the situation of trouble, then the people’s cry for help, then the provided deliverance, and then an admonition for those delivered to provide thanks for God’s steadfast love and mighty works. 

No matter what challenge you might be facing this particular psalm has in it a pattern and structure for which you may pray as you seek the LORD to give your direction and deliverance from your problems. The psalm in particular is the prescription written for you personally by your Great Physician Jesus Christ your Savior. 

How do we give thanks to God? Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Give thanks unto the Lord with a joyful shout! - Psalm 100:4 1

Collect for Psalm 107: Lord God, you fill the hungry with good things and break the sinners chains. Hear your people who call to you in their need, and lead your church from the shadows of death. Gather us from sunset to sunrise, that we may grow together in faith and love and may give thinks for your kindness in Jesus Christ our Lord. 2

Sources:

Illustration of The Crucifixion is from a woodcut by Baron Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1794-1872, a distinguished German artist known especially for his book, The Book of Books in Pictures. Copyright © WLS permission granted for personal and congregational use

1. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-12-2/commentary-on-psalm-1071-3-23-32-3 

2. Collect for Psalm 27, For All the Saints a Prayer book for and by the Church © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi NY